Nicholas Hope (Manchester, 25 December 1958) is a British-born Australian actor, director, and teacher of acting. He became known for his performance as the lead role in the 1993 film Bad Boy Bubby, for which he won several awards.

Early life and education Nicholas Hope was born in Manchester, England. His family emigrated to the steel and shipbuilding town of Whyalla in South Australia, where he grew up.

In 2010, he earned a PhD in performance studies at the University of Sydney.

Career Music Hope's first foray into live performance was as a bass player in a variety of rock bands in the 1970s and 1980s.

Acting, writing, and directing He started his acting career on stage, working in many productions for the State Theatre Company of South Australia. He starred in a short film, and then got his big break when he played the lead role of Bubby in 1993 cult crime comedy-drama film Bad Boy Bubby, written and directed by Rolf de Heer. The role won him several best actor accolades, at the Australian Film Institute Awards, the Venice Film Festival in 1993, and France's Valenciennes Film Festival in 1995.

In 1998, Hope was nominated for best supporting actor at the Amanda Awards for his performance in the Norwegian film En dag til i solen (1998).

Subsequent film credits include The Goddess of 1967 (2000), alongside Rose Byrne; family film Scooby-Doo (2002), opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.; The Night We Called It a Day (2003), with Joel Edgerton, Dennis Hopper and Melanie Griffith; creature thriller Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004); and Australian drama film Lost and Found (2005). Later films include The Daughter (2015), with Sam Neill and Geoffrey Rush; The School (2018); The Invisible Man (2020) alongside Elisabeth Moss and directed by Leigh Whannell; Moon Rock for Monday (2020) and The Drover's Wife (2021), opposite Leah Purcell.

He played lead roles in the 2012 films Redd Inc and Double Happiness Uranium. He received a Film Critics Circle of Australia nomination for best actor in a supporting role for his role as Joseph in Ivan Sen's 2023 film, Limbo.

Hope has also starred in numerous television series. He made early appearances in G.P., Blue Heelers, Farscape and Beastmaster. He starred in the award-winning 2001 miniseries Changi, as well as Gallipoli (2014) and Picnic at Hanging Rock (2018). His other television credits include Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Offspring, Janet King, Ash Vs Evil Dead, Operation Buffalo, The Twelve, The Secrets She Keeps, The Messenger, The Artful Dodger, Black Snow and Ten Pound Poms.

Hope is also a writer, director, and producer. He made his writer/director debut with the play Little Gods in 2013. The following year, he directed Four Places for Outhouse Theatre, and in 2015 he directed his own play Five Properties of Chainmale for Griffin Theatre Company. He directed the short film Like Gold (2017), and produced the 2019 short film The Reckoning of Christian Spencer.

Teaching In 2014, he was teacher of direction and acting for film, at the Sydney Film School, and was head of acting at the International Screen Academy, Sydney.

Other activities Hope recounted his experiences in the film industry – including his failure to secure main roles – in his 2004 memoir Brushing the Tip of Fame.

A portrait of Hope appears in the National Portrait Gallery.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1989 Confessor Caressor Michael Freely 1993 Bad Boy Bubby Bubby 1994 Exile MacKenzie 1995 The Life of Harry Dare Kevin 1996 Little White Lies North Star Sheriff Lamont Lust and Revenge Karl-Heinz Applebaum 1997 Applied Mathematics: Questions 1 to 10 John May Short film Henry Fool Father Hawkes 1998 En dag til i solen Windy 1999 The Darkest Light Father Mark 2000 Når mørket er forbi Edvin Mother Said (a Year Younger) Short film The Goddess of 1967 Grandpa 2001 Happy Mother's Day Dad Short film 2002 Harvey Short film Scooby-Doo Old Man Smithers 2003 Paradise Found Maurrin The 13th House Man from the 14th Floor The Flaming Brain Eric Short film The Night We Called It a Day Phil Collier Brothers Syndrome Langley Collier Short film 2004 Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid Christian Van Dyke 2006 Uro Dealeren Sharp Turn The Stranger Short film Lost and Found Ebeneezer Wrench 2007 Bitter Flowers (aka Varg Veum - Bitre blomster) Warren Donaldson 2008 Lønsj Reataurantør En perfekt dag for golf Julius the English golfer Short film Ovum Short film 2010 The Passport Inspector Florez Short film Complicity Man Short film All at Sea Eric 2012 Butterflies Dalton Hearst Short film Redd Inc. Thomas Reddmann Decrepit Lawrence Wrinkle Short film 2013 Double Happiness Uranium Reuben Henschke Greg's First Day Bernard Short film 2014 Permafrost Max Short film Fade Gerry Short film2015 The Daughter Peterson Truth Marcel Matley 2016 Sandwich Larry Short film2017 Maurice's Symphony Mr Ferk Short film Event Zero Langston Charlesworth 2018 The School Dr. Peter Masuta Book Week Ken Cutler Slam Pete the Journalist 2019 Dark Place Boss Anthology film, segment: "Scout" Henry Needs a New Home Henry Short film Foreclosure Haywood Short film 2020 The Invisible Man Head Doctor Moon Rock for Monday The Bobbins Over the Edge Officer Blaze Short film The Story of Lee Ping Slater Short film2021 The Drover's Wife Judge Eisenmangher The Suspect Detective Carver Short film Collectors Sebastian Short film2022 The Home Team Darren Short film Lustration VR – Series 1 Short film Lean Robert Short film2023 Limbo Joseph Contagion of Fear Langston Charlesworth Pasifika Drift Darryl Short film2024 Exposure Glen Short film Kangaroo Island Barnaby Roberts Electric Ugo Cerletti Short film 2025 The Trial Milton Short film 2026 Leviticus Deliverance Preacher

Television Year Title Role Notes 1987 Frontier Sir George Pipps Miniseries, 3 episodes1994 Blue Heelers Father Leary 1 episode G.P. Ray 1 episode 1996 Little White Lies Barrett TV movie Eldorado Rocko TV movie1998 Getting Hurt Edgar / Viola's husband TV movie Bugs Yerevenkian 1 episode 2000 Beastmaster Khadro Episode: "Heart Like a Lion" 2000–2001 Farscape Akkpr / Kreetago 5 episodes 2001 Changi Guillaume Koper Miniseries, 6 episodes 2002 Don't Blame the Koalas Video Shop Owner 1 episode 2004 Fallen Chief Supt, Edridge TV movie 2005 Grange TV movie short 2006 Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler? Geoffrey Chandler TV movie 2007 Varg Veum Warren Donaldson 1 episode 2008 Resistance Stephen Hope 1 episode The Prime Minister is Missing William McMahon TV documentary film2009 Rogue Nation Judge Advocate Richard Atkins 1 episode 3 Acts of Murder Harry Manning TV movie 2010 Rake Professor Aden Sinclair 1 episode2011 Wild Boys Morris McLardy 1 episode The Bedou Key Bedouin Brother Video short2013 Offspring Tadgh Reid 2 episodes Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Geoffrey Spall 1 episode2015 Gallipoli Major General Walter Braithwaite 7 episodes Mary: The Making of a Princess Per Thornitt TV movie2016 Janet King Justice Felton 2 episodes Soul Mates Caveman Bob 6 episodes Ash vs Evil Dead Professor Raymond Knowby Season 2, 2 episodes 2017 Cleverman Dr. Mitchell 3 episodes 2018 Chosen The Box Maker 2 episodes Picnic at Hanging Rock Colonel Fitzhubert Miniseries, 4 episodes Jade of Death Wilkins 6 episodes 2019 Random and Whacky Nigel 10 episodes The Hunting Principal Fischer 1 episode Les Norton Priest Miniseries, 1 episode2020 Operation Buffalo Dr Breston 5 episodes Deadhouse Dark David Souris 2 episodes 2020; 2022 The Secrets She Keeps Brother Bowler 5 episodes 2021 Born to Spy Mr Potts 6 episodes 2022 The Twelve Mr Isaacs 1 episode2023 Crazy Fun Park Neville Moore 1 episode The Messenger Bernie Miniseries, 2 episodes The Artful Dodger Justice Micawber 2 episodes 2023–2025 Black Snow Tommy Cormack / Tommy Doyle 6 episodes 2024 Nautilus Dr Skinny 1 episode 2025 Ten Pound Poms Stanley 1 episode

Theatre As cast Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1989 The Rover STCSA 1993 The School for Scandal Snake Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA 1996 Simpatico Vinnie Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 2004 Bima & Bramati Bima (lead) Det Apne Theater, Oslo / Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 2005 This Little Piggy The Eagle Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 2006 The Colour of Panic Balder (lead) Sydney Opera House, Det Apne Theater, Oslo with Splinter Theatre Company 2007 2,000 Feet Away Byron Belvoir St Theatre with B Sharp & Frogbattleship 2010 Way to Heaven Red Cross Representative Stables Theatre, Sydney with Ride On Theatre / Griffin Theatre Company 2012 The Mousetrap Major Metcalf Australian tour

As writer Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2006 The Colour of Panic Balder (lead) Sydney Opera House, Det Apne Theater, Oslo with Splinter Theatre Company 2013 Little Gods Writer / Director May Day Playwrights Festival 2014 Four Places Director Tap Gallery, Sydney with Outhouse Theatre Company 2014 The Dixie Swim Club Writer Heidelberg Theatre Company 2015 Five Properties of Chainmale Writer / Director Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company 2021 Always a Bridesmaid Writer Pavilion Theatre, Castle Hill with Castle Hill Players 2022 Till Beth Do Us Part Writer The 1812 Theatre, Ferntree Gully with Theatrematters

Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result Ref. 1994 Bad Boy Bubby Australian Film Institute Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Australian Cinematographers Society 1993 Venice Film Festival CIAC (Popular) Prize for Best Performance 1995 Valenciennes Film Festival Best Actor The Colour of Panic 100 0g Nå’ Ibsen Centenary Writing Prize 2018 Jade of Death Denver Series-Fest Best Actor 2024 Limbo Film Critics Circle of Australia Best Actor in a Supporting Role

References

External links Interview from July 2004